Katy Perry has been anything but a “Dark Horse” for the past 15 years, with her massive fame and undeniable talent catapulting her to a judge’s seat on American Idol. Of course, such a position comes with all too many eyes, and viewers will always find something to criticize.
That being said, some pieces of criticism are more warranted than others. Katy has been under fire lately for comments toward contestants. She reportedly “mom-shamed” one contestant and unfairly criticized the costume of another. Viewers also called her out for taking up time complaining about an elimination when she should’ve been offering feedback to another contestant.
The Grammy nominee has also drawn more attention to herself for agreeing to perform at King Charles III’s coronation. That is a bit of a controversial event on its own. Fellow judge, Lionel Richie, will join her in that performance, and the two judges will have temporary replacements in the meantime.
American Idol Season 21: Katy Perry’s rollercoaster
To her credit, Katy has been mostly altogether unaffected by this criticism. A source told Page Six that she “isn’t fazed by the backlash,” and that American Idol Season 21 “has been a rollercoaster.” Given the circumstances, Katy is reportedly “just doing her job” and never has any ill intent while judging.
On the one hand, the source has a point that Katy is probably very drained from working on the show. That, on top of everything else she does each week. On the other hand, Katy’s been a performer for a long time and has a lot of experience in front of cameras. It’s probably that experience that helps her remain unaffected. It’s really quite admirable for Katy to react as she has, and she wouldn’t be a performer of her caliber if she couldn’t take the heat, warranted or not.
Of course, American Idol is just a hotbed for potential drama. A show with established stars like Ryan Seacrest, and once-up-and-coming stars like Kelly Clarkson will inevitably lead to pointed discussions from fans. Many fans even spoke out in defense of Katy. They said that compared to judges like Simon Cowell, Katy didn’t hold a candle.
Granted, if Simon Cowell is the standard of how mean a judge can be, no one will look so harsh in comparison. In fact, defending Katy through comparison is a bit of a non-sequitur. The question was never whether or not Katy was the meanest judge to ever be on American Idol. It was simply a question of whether she was wrong in saying what she did. And ultimately, I leave that question in your hands.
American Idol continues Sundays at 8/7c on ABC with the finale coming on May 21, 2023.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF KATY’S RESPONSE TO HER CRITICS? SHOULD SHE BE MORE REFLECTIVE? IS SHE MORE WARRANTED THAN HER CRITICISM?